Prism
by Shaille
Summary: A short one-shot about Lux and her progressive obsession with Garen and Katarina.


Welcome to Summoner's Rift!

A short one-shot this time. Prepare for drama.

Every single review will be most helpful! :)

**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot.

* * *

**Prism  
**

I've never seen Katarina so uncomfortable before.

She stands in the doorway to my room, looking everywhere but in my eyes. Her hands are lodged deeply into her pants' pockets, but I can see them fidgeting through the tight fabric. She's leaning a bit to her left side - a habit I've once noticed she has - and she's chewing on her lip, probably not at all consciously. She's nervous, I realise somewhere in the back of my head and it makes me feel even more so. If someone told me two weeks ago Katarina would be standing like this in front of me, I would have never believed them.

"May I come in?" she asks finally after what seems like forever. I stop seeing things in slow motion and focus my vision on her face, her green eyes meeting my blue ones. I step aside without really comprehending her words. I've been acting like a robot for the previous week, and now it's no different. She moves past me, but I barely even notice. Nevertheless, I still close the door behind her.

She stops in the middle of my room with her back to me, her hands still in her pockets and her whole posture slightly slouched. She looks around in a somewhat interested-but-not-really way. She's never been here, at least not inside. I feel a pang of amusement as I watch her studying my things, but she seems strangely fascinated by my carpet all of a sudden. A sign for me to act.

"What do you want?" I ask, and it _does_ sound as rude as it did in my head. She turns around rapidly, as if she's surprised I'm still standing here. Her hands ball into fists in her pockets and I take a cautious step back. Maybe it was a bit of a reckless move to invite her to my room, when I'm completely defenceless and she has all her knives with her. But she doesn't lurch at me as anticipated. I'm surprised.

"I'm surprised," she says and for a moment I almost feel like laughing. She kicks off a lone piece of clothing lying next to her foot. Shame washes over me as I realise my room's in a complete mess. Various things are scattered around the floor in an utterly chaotic way, from books and papers to clothing. I make a dash for a pair of underwear beside my bed and hide it quickly under the covers. If she had noticed it before, she doesn't seem to care.

"By what?" I retort, though our little talk does seems to be progressing a teensy bit slow. Katarina sighs and lets her hair fall into her face. I've always been curious about that scar across her eye, but I never had the courage to ask her about it. It would have been rude. And we weren't exactly on friend terms, either.

"You've stayed," she finishes her earlier thought, but for me it's still an incomplete one. My tired brain overlapses in effort to understand what she's talking about, when I see her opening her mouth again. "I thought you'd leave the League."

* * *

"You shouldn't have come here," Garen said as he sat angrily on the chair. I was surprised it didn't break under his weight and the pure force of this impact. It had to be one damn good chair. I smiled at him, ignoring his obviously bad mood. He scowled in return.

"Yet I decided to do so," I chirped back, and he groaned upon my statement. He took the glass of wine standing on my desk and gulped down its whole content. I instantly moved to refill it, but he caught my hand in mid-way.

"You don't know what the League is like, Lux," he said in a low voice, pulling me closer. I could have smelt the wine in his breath and it made me dizzy, almost like drinking it myself. I hated alcohol back then, but he had a deep love for wine ever since he's been a young boy. I let him pull me in completely and sat on his lap, instantly locking my arms around his neck and nuzzling in his shoulder.

"It's nothing like what you've learned in school", he continued, but his voice got softer. He still treated me like a child, even after everything I'd done for Demacia up to that moment. It was no point arguing - he had always won every fight anyway, be it on the battlefield or in my chambers. "People here are deceptive. They'll want to befriend you, they'll be nice to you. They'll find you useful, Lux."

"I'm not that gullible, Garen," I tried, but he seemed to ignore it again.

* * *

"I wanted to," I admit, though I'm not entirely sure why. It's not like Katarina is the first person I'd imagine myself confessing to, but she looks at me this certian way and I feel compelled to do so. Maybe that's what they teach them at the Noxian military. To make people feel uneasy by merely looking at them. She shifts her weight to the other leg and her eyes soften for a moment, to which I exhale a sigh of relief. I didn't even know I was holding my breath. "But I just couldn't bring myself to do so."

Katarina snorts and smirks, but doesn't comment in any other way. She starts wandering around till she stops in front of a pile of papers on my desk. The feeling of exposure swallows my pride and I move in quickly to cover the letters from her eyes. The Noxian's in the middle of reading the first one when I tear it away from her, folding it in half and placing on the far corner of the desk.

"It's private," I mumble and hope she doesn't understand me, but a feeling tells me she did. Katarina looks like she's about to say something nasty, when her eyes catch sight of the half-empty bottle I used as a paperweight. She lifts it up to her nose and sniffs, a weird smile crawling on her lips.

"You've been drinking wine?" she asks in a mocking tone. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks and I know I'm blushing furiously right now. Nice way to go, Luxanna. How to make yourself look stupid in one simple step.

"Yes," despite my best efforts, my voice is shaking from nervousness. At least that was a really short word. Maybe she didn't notice. "So?"

"Never took you for one to drink," she states simply and the mocking tone is gone. I can't even say where's it going anymore and I'm getting annoyed with the small-talk. She's not supposed to be here, something tells me in an angry voice inside my head. I'm in the middle of building my confidence up to kick her out at this instant when she takes one of the glasses standing on the cupboard next to my desk. "May I?" she asks, holding up the bottle.

I shrug in response and she pours herself a glassful. The small goblet turns into a deep red-tinted lantern in the candlelight. Katarina matches well with crimson.

* * *

"So she's the crimson haired Noxian you told me about before?" I asked him, leaning back a little on my bed. Garen was sitting in the very same chair, but his mood was lighter this time. He was busy with writing a letter to the King, as he always did on Friday evenings. He reported him everything happening in the League during the whole week, though he mostly concentrated on the Noxian champions. Despite that, he never wrote anything about his recurring small talks with Katarina. I never told him to do so.

"You've met her?" he countered my question and I could see the faint shadow of smile playing on his lips. I crept closer to the edge of my bed, and kicked him on the shoulder with the tips of my toes. He let out a short laugh, which reminded me of a wolf's bark.

"I have," I said in the most innocent voice I could muster. "She killed me, actually. On the Rift."

There was a moment of awkward silence between us at that point. I had a feeling he didn't want to dig deeper into the subject, while I wanted it more than anything. I was curious about that girl. He had never told me much about their first meeting, simply just mentioned there was an event like this during the war. I imagined her looking... well, certainly not that feminine. He had said she was an amazing fighter, and I had the image of an ugly, heavy, muscular troll in my head. The girl I saw on Summoner's Rift surprised me. Her fighting skills surprised me to death.

"She's beautiful," I spit out randomly, catching his attention. She was indeed gorgeous, by Noxian standards, even with that hideous scar. It just added an edge to her otherwise feminine face. I felt a pang of jealousy and my cheeks burned with a mix of shame and anger.

* * *

"Not bad," Katarina comments as she sets the glass back down on the desk.

"It's Demacian," I answer with a faint smile, taking the glass from her to fill it up again. My hand brushes over hers in the process. Her skin is cold and somewhat rough, but it's still nice to the touch. She jerks her arm away, as if I've just burned her with one of the candles. I feel my smile fade from my lips.

"What do you want?" I ask once more, a bit irritated with her actions, handing her the refilled glass. My own goblet stands on the desk unattended. I've had enough this evening, and Katarina only adds fuel to the fire burning inside me. She puts her right hand inside her pocket again, and I can clearly see now she has something hidden there. She fumbles with it, as if considering revealing the object. I sit down on my damn good chair and look at her expectantly, but she's facing away from me. I barely resist the urge to kick her in the shin and instead wait for her to finish reading the titles of my books.

"Katarina?" I say in a slightly more demanding tone, and she almost jumps visibly.

* * *

I really enjoyed staying in the League. It gave me a chance to prove my valor in fight without risking my life in the process. I guess Garen _was_ right on that subject. My stay in Noxus had never required any open combat engagement, and as far as my military training went, I have never had to face a live opponent. I was a coward, really. The League hadn't changed that, but it gave me the feeling of security. Whenever I died, I would have come back a few seconds later. I cheated the death so many times I almost stopped fearing it at all.

I enjoyed my stay at the Institute, but those rare moments of holidays were my favourite ones. I've always loved Demacia's festivals - I would have just enjoyed myself, watching the shows, fireworks and eating different kinds of special foods reserved only for these occasions.

"What are you looking at?" I shouted at Garen through the roar of the crowd around us. He stopped at a jewelry stall, a place I would have never expected for him to even _look_ at. I crept behind his back curiously to see what exactly caught his attention. A wide range of pendants laid on the counter before him. When I shot a look at his face, he had a really confused expression on. I grinned widely. "Are you searching for something?"

"I wanted to buy something pretty," he admitted, though that much was obvious. He _did_ treat me like an idiot sometimes, but I decided to pretend not to notice. I switched my attention to the goods in front of me. A patch of clear crystal prism pendants caught my eye, shimmering in the dim light of the festival lanterns. I've always had this special place in my heart for beautiful things, and they played with the light so nicely I immediately wanted to get them all. It took me but a moment to notice the whole stall was offering this kind of jewelry, only the others were colorful and thus didn't reflect that much light.

"And for whom would you like to buy it?" I asked him, grinning even wider. The crystals did certainly appeal to me. I only worried about spoiling his arranged surprise.

"Katarina," he stated simply. The smile vanished from my face instantly. Of course it would be for Katarina, I thought bitterly. Everything seemed to be made just for her. Garen studied the pendants closely, looking at them from different angles. "Can you help me? I'm not the best with those things."

I felt my eyes sting and had to face away from him for a moment. He was so busy with the jewelry he didn't even notice me wiping my eyes with the rim of my sleeve. When I turned back to my brother, I picked up one of the closest pendants and handed it to him.

"Here," I said, huffing. From what it felt like, the crystal belonged to the smallest ones. I couldn't bring myself to look at it. "This'll be perfect."

I left Garen to pay for it and hurried over to the next stall. For the next couple of minutes I had to pretend I was _very_ interested in the wicker baskets they offered. I was really close to buying one for the kittens I didn't even have when I felt a light pat on my shoulder. I groaned.

"I got it," he announced, holding the pendant on my face level. Just as I thought, it was the smallest size possible, but otherwise it was beautiful. It was crimson colored with silver finishings, and upon contact with light it sent deep red reflexes all over Garen's face. I felt my knees buckle. It _was_ perfect after all. Garen took a matching-colored pouch out of his pocket and put the pendant gently inside it, as if afraid he would break the crystal if he pressed on it too hard.

"Great, now let's go," I commanded, trying to hide my annoyance. Before I had the chance to move, he caught me by my wrist, rooting me in place.

"Wait," he said, putting a similar, but white pouch out of his other pocket. He undid the strings and let a small object fall out of the bag into his open hand. "I got this one for you."

I slowly took the small, clear crystal, cut in the same way, with the exact same silver finishings in my fingers and held it up to the lantern. It reflected the light playfully, transforming the dim orange glow into millions of miniature rainbows. It was mesmerizing, just looking at it.

I think I have never felt that stupid in my entire life.

* * *

"When are you departing?" Katarina asks quickly and catches me off-guard. I stutter in response, but no actual words come out of my mouth. The memory still playing in my mind, I instinctively touch the pendant hanging from my neck, hidden from the world by thin layer of clothing. She clears her throat. "Lux?"

"Tomorrow evening," I spit out absent-mindedly when she lightly kicks my foot. She seems surprised by what I've said, so I decide it logical to continue. "I have to be there the next day in the morning."

She nods, still fumbling with the Something inside her pocket.

* * *

_Tomorrow evening_. Her handwriting was rough, but I didn't expect much of a Noxian soldier in that matter.

I found that note in Garen's bedside cabinet's top drawer. I'd rummaged through it out of pure curiosity - not that I was nosy or anything, I was just bored out of my mind when Garen left me in his room upon his summoning to the arena. I didn't know why it caught my attention. It was just a little, crumpled piece of paper, possibly torn out of a notebook of some kind. I felt the sudden urge to read it, though I knew that whatever was written on it was reserved for my brother's eyes only.

By conclusion it had to refer to that very evening. It was early in the morning when I came across it and I was the one to wake Garen up an hour prior to this event. Surely no one had slipped into his room throughout the night. My brother wasn't one to accept visitors in his sleep.

I _had_ to check it. I didn't want him to get involved in anything nasty.

During the dinner Garen acted pretty much like he did everyday. He swallowed his food like some kind of a voracious monster, had a little chat with prince Jarvan in which the wole hall could have heard their laughter, made all kinds of jokes about Shyvana and Shauna leaving the table together. I was excluded from the latter, as of usual. Sometimes Garen even covered my ears from those especially dreadful puns. _Sometimes_ I would tell him I wasn't a kid anymore, but not that evening. That evening I was the sweetest little sister one could have. If everything worked according to the plan, Garen wouldn't suspect anything.

The wait had to be the hardest part. I'd bid him goodnight around ten in the evening, insisting on how tired the day's events had made me. He kissed the tip of my nose and suggested I take a relaxing aromatheraphy bath. I told him I'd think about it and after I closed the door behind him I immediately got out of my colorful dress. Instead of heading for the bathroom, though, I stood in front of my armoire in search of the darkest clothes I had. Unfortunately, the only thing I found were some navy-blue shirt, dark brown leggings and a dim, purple hood. I only had my vain personality to blame.

The search for clothing took far more than I thought it would and I just hoped I wouldn't be late. I slipped out of my room the quietest I could. There still were some champions in the corridor, but fortunately they didn't pay much attention to me. The only person to even notice my presence was Ashe, the Freljord Queen. She seemed deeply worried about my going out that late in the evening. I told her I was headed for my brother's chambers, which _was_ partially true. I had enough of everybody treating me like a child.

Thankfully, I wasn't late, as I could hear Garen pacing in his chambers. I waited in the shadows of the corridor leading to his room for almost half an hour. It was around midnight that the door opened and he slid out, gently locking it behind him. I didn't know he could move so stealthily - he made almost no sound as he roamed through the dark halls. I kept a safe distance between him and me. I was sure of my following skills, but I didn't want to risk that much. He would never let me hear the end of it, had he found out I wasn't in my bed.

When he turned into my corridor, the blood in my veins froze. For a moment I was scared he would stop at my door, but he moved past it without as much as a glance in its direction. We moved on in a steady pace until we reached the backdoor, and after that we only sped up.

He ended up stopping in an alcove in the far east corner of the Institute's garden. It was hid from the building by a patch of trees and the obvious factor of distance. There was no way anybody could have noticed it looking out their window. Katarina wasn't there yet, but Garen didn't sit to wait for her. He just stood there, as did I, only a several dozen yards away, hid in the shadows of a tall maple tree and an elder bush. The flowers were in bloom, hiding my scent perfectly, even though the nights were still cold. I crouched a little to keep my body warmer and waited.

She came literally out of nowhere. I couldn't see her coming until she was in the alcove with my brother, who was facing the other way. She tapped him on the shoulder and I was expecting him to jump in surprise, but he only turned around slowly. She said something to him, and he moved his lips in response, but they talked too quietly for me to hear anything from the distance. I cursed under my breath, but I didn't dare to move closer. If I couldn't hear them, that only meant they couldn't hear me as well. At least I hoped so.

They were talking for a while and with each passing second I regretted following Garen. My feet were freezing in my boots and I had to move my tongue between my teeth to stop them from chattering loudly. I was just about to move back to the Institute, when Garen put his hand inside one of his pockets and took the crimson pouch out. Shame washed over me again upon seeing it. My own pendant was hanging from a silver chain on my neck, ice-cold from the chilling night's air.

He took the crimson crystal out and it shone brightly in the moonlight, sending red reflexes all over the alcove and the ground around it. Katarina seemed to be lost in the beauty for a moment, something I would have never accused her of. She then moved her hand slowly and covered the pendant in his hand. I felt my heart skip a beat as she moved in closer and locked her lips with my brother's, his other arm immediately closing around her waist. She took the small pendant from him and embraced his shoulder while his hand, now free of the crystal, found its way up her jacket.

I felt tears well up in my eyes as jealousy rose inside my guts and I had to bite hard on my tongue to prevent myself from producing any sound. I couldn't stop looking at them, seeing every little detail in sharp, vivid colors. The way she closed her eyes when he touched her, the way his lips curled into a sly smile in between the kisses. My hand held on tightly to the hem of my hood, my knuckles turning white. Something powerful started to grow deep inside me, and my whole body felt hot all of a sudden. Before I knew it, the envy got replaced by fright as I realised _what_ was happening with me. I started to move backwards, squeezing my eyes shut. I needed to get out of there as quick as possible.

A dry twig snapped under my boot and I froze in place, not daring to move a single finger. When I looked at them once again, Garen was still occupied with his previous actions, though he moved to the Noxian's neck, but Katarina wasn't paying that much attention to him anymore. She was looking over his shoulder, exactly in my direction. I could swear she held eye contact with me for a moment. Cleansing my head of all thoughts, I turned around and ran away in the Institute's direction, begging she wouldn't follow me.

She didn't.

After that night, I have never seen her wearing the pendant.

* * *

"I wanted to ask you a favor," she states simply in a calm voice. I nod shortly, blinking a few times. For a moment I hoped she just came here to talk and drink my wine, that she didn't want anything. I'm pretty awful with refusing people, even if they are my supposed enemies. Katarina sits down on the other chair, which is not so damn good, but a comfortable one anyway. She crosses her arms across her chest and I instantly know she's not going to finish. I sigh, cursing her Noxian upbringing in my mind. She's not used to asking people favors.

"What is it?" I urge. I'm just a Light Mage, I can't read her mind. If I could, I'd gladly do it. Maybe that would help me understand the past few months better.

Katarina opens her mouth, but closes it a second later and I feel it's going to be a hard task now. She puts her hand inside that damned pocket again and just as I am about to yell at her for ignoring me, she puts something small out of it. She passes it wordlessly to me and as soon as I take it, she turns her face away from my sight. I look at the little bundle in my hands. It's heavy for its size, packed up in a clean, white handkerchief. After a cautious look in Katarina's direction I decide she wants me to unwrap it. At least I want it badly.

Inside I find a medium-sized, tear shaped sapphire. It's cold in touch, and its surface is smooth, safe for one spot. I look at the area closely and discover something scratched out in there. Summoning all my knowledge I identify the shapes as Noxian runes of a meaning unknown to me. Realisation hits me as I recognize the gem from various times I've seen it before.

It's one of the sapphires built into my brother's sword hilt. Only this one has been missing.

* * *

"What happened to your sword?" I asked. We were sitting in Garen's room and the sword hanging on his wall caught my attention. I remembered there were our Grandmother's sapphires built in the hilt. In Demacia, we believed that traces of souls rested in the closest, dearest belongings. When Grandmother was sick and bound to bed, she ordered one of the servants to write up her last will. In it, she specified her beloved sapphires to be passed to Garen. She wanted to keep an eye on him, always. I frowned. The biggest one was missing now. "One of the gems is gone."

He looked up at me from the book he was reading, unaffected. There was something absent about his behavior, and the thoughtful look in his eyes didn't help it all.

"Oh," he said, sounding fakely surprised and I furrowed my brows at that. Garen had never once lied to me, nor had he ever averted my questions. This time something was off with his actions, and I just couldn't decide what. "I must have lost it during one of today's fights. It's okay, don't worry about it."

This only convinced me further that something was indeed wrong. Garen had loved Grandmother dearly. The loss of her former belonging wasn't something he wouldn't worry about.

He didn't _want_ to tell me, though. He was hiding something from me and it awoke a weird mix of emotions hidden somewhere deep in my chest. I walked up to him and closed his book, putting it away on the desk. He didn't protest, just crossed his arms on his torso. I smiled the most gleeful smile I could muster right then, but he still had a frown on his face.

"Katarina told me you were spying on us," he started. So _that_ was it. I felt my throat go dry in embarrassement. I didn't suppose she had really seen me. In a poor attempt at hiding my shame, I sat down in his lap, uncrossing his arms and putting them around my waist. I had to distract him somehow, and that was the only way that has ever worked on him.

"I wasn't," I tried. I could tell him the truth, but I knew he would get angry at me, so lying _was_ my only option. After all, my words should matter to him more than hers. He had known me for far longer and, whatever may have happened between them, she was still Noxian. There was no way he would believe her over me. _No way._

"You followed me," he said, looking me deep in the eyes. I gulped and hoped my nervousness wasn't that obvious. I could lie to people if I wanted to, and I was damn good with it. Garen just wouldn't fall for my tricks. "Just admit it. I won't be mad at you."

"Followed? I would never do that!" my tone was so insulted at that point it almost convinced _me_ I didn't know what he was talking about. I made the best annoyed-slash-hurt face I possibly could. It had to work, it always did. But Garen's face twisted in anger, and I didn't even have a chance to regret getting into it.

"Don't bullshit me, Lux!" he burst out all of a sudden, pushing my arms away from his neck. My balance was lost and I fell backwards from his lap onto the soft carpet. Shock had to be written all over my face, because when he stood up from the chair, he was calm again. "Stop acting like a child for once. Just tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth," I squeaked, getting up from the floor with the speed of the light and walking up to him. I tried to catch one of his hands between mine, but he moved faster than me, grasping my wrists almost painfully. He pulled me closer, so close I could feel his heartbeat against my chest and his rushed breath in my hair. In a matter of seconds I felt fear and vulnerability arise in me. I was afraid of him.

"Something's telling me you're not, baby," he murmured close to my ear. I had my eyes shut, but I felt like seeing all the things surrounding us. Suddenly, everything I felt transformed into pure fury. He _had_ chosen her over me, after all. She fucked up his brain to the point he didn't believe me anymore, to the point he shoved me onto the floor and would not think of as much as apologizing to me. I gritted my teeth hard until it became painful in a poor attempt at controlling my temper.

"I am telling you the truth!" I repeated, pushing away from him. He seemed surprised for a second and that moment of hesitation was the only thing I needed. I slapped him hard across his cheek, but it only served to anger me more. Something broke inside me. "You take whatever that Noxian whore says for granted! Can't you think with your own brain anymore!? Can't you trust your own kin anymore!? Can't you remember WHO you ARE anymore!?"

I would go on, had he not closed the distance between us and covered my mouth with his hand. He pulled me into a close embrace and I tried to avert him, but I could never win with him. He had won _every_ battle. I felt parts of my body go numb, one by one. My breathing was shallow, but I couldn't try to break free anymore. When he thought I calmed down, Garen let go of me. I didn't even realize I was crying until I brought a hand up to my face. Unable to look into his eyes, I moved wordlessly to the door and opened it. For a moment, I stood there, facing the corridor but listening to Garen's breathing inside.

I crossed the doorstep and slammed the door behind me, heading for my room immediately. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. In my head I could hear Katarina's sarcastic laughter. She had won with me on fair terms.

* * *

"I wondered where it was," I say softly, looking at the smooth sapphire. I don't want to ask her about the runes. I don't feel it would be _fair_ of me and I'm not sure I even want to hear the answer. The spoiled brat inside me surely does. I move my gaze to her, but she's staring out the window. I am suddenly aware of how well she has to see in the dark of the night. She _did_ see me back then. I can't bring myself to blame her for telling Garen the truth.

"Take it with you," she says finally after a few minutes of silence. There is something in her voice I have never heard before, but I don't want to interpret it. I don't want to _need_ to understand her anymore. I don't want anything to happen before I know I can take full control of it.

"I can't keep it," I protest, and she looks at me sternly.

"Take it," she repeats, and though her voice is hard it's not the angry tone she uses on the battlefield. It's almost as if she's scolding me, the same way Garen always used to. "I never got to give it back."

I feel the sting of tears in my eyes.

* * *

I was sitting in my room, alone. It was a month after my fight with Garen, and two weeks since he had left in service to our King. My performances on the Summoner's Rift were poor as of lately. I couldn't concentrate on the battle the way I used to, and I tended to make the stupidest mistakes possible. Once, I got killed by a turret because I was convinced it was my team's. I even tried to hurt my own teammates a few times.

I've only had come across Katarina four times during that period and each time I lost to her immediately. I wasn't able to face her and not to remember that evening. She only smiled each time, as if she _knew_ what exactly was wrong with me.

A gentle knock on the door awoke me from my daydreaming. I got up stifly, trying to remember how to walk. When I opened it, my mind had to work hard for a few seconds to take in the visitor. Prince Jarvan IV stood there, looking devastated. I straightened myself on instinct.

"Your Majesty?" I asked. It wasn't often that he talked to me without my brother's presence, and it certainly was the first time he has ever visited me in my private chambers. I didn't know how to act. "What brings you here?"

"I'm really sorry, Luxanna," he started, handing me a letter. I was caught off-guard by the sadeness in his voice, but before I had the time to think about it, I took the letter and read the first paragraph. My heart stopped and I looked at Jarvan in disbelief. On his face I saw my own emotions reflected. And then it all crashed down, and I felt myself collapsing into him. He caught me and moved into my room, closing the door behind him. He didn't say anything, and I didn't want him to say anything. I just cried for my dear life.

The letter was a military notification. In bloodless words it stated the death of my brother in an attack organised by a group of Noxian assasins.

* * *

She stands up and I want to follow, but something keeps me glued to my damn good chair. I feel as if my whole body weighs a hundred times more than it should. My throat is dry and even though I want to say something, tell her that I know what she wants me to do with the gem, I can't seem to get my mouth open. In three days I'm going to see him for the last time, but she never got even that much of a privilege. Burying the sapphire is the least I can grant her.

"I didn't have anything to do with the attack," she says out of the blue. I know. I can't ever consciously believe in anything she says, but deep inside I know she's not lying now. She's honest, and I realise it's only because I am his sister. Some part of me wants to hold her, but the other knows that would be too much. She turns around to look at me again, but her green eyes miss my blue ones. "I... cannot go to Demacia. I wish I could."

"I know," I finally manage to get out. Katarina looks as if she's about to say something more, but she changes her mind and just sighs, letting her shoulders slump. She's tired, just as I am. She's hurt, just as I am. The world ceased to revolve around me, but it took me that long to understand it. She starts for the door and stops just before opening it, with her hand on the handle.

"Thanks," she says softly, and I nod in response, though I know Katarina can't see me now. She finally presses the doorhandle and walks slowly through the treshold. As she moves, the light of the corridor reflects in what seems to be her leggings. Before she closes the door behind her, I move my head enough to take a closer look at her hip.

At the sheath of her favourite dagger she's wearing the pendant I chose for her.

* * *

**A/N**: Hope you enjoyed. Every single review will be most helpful, so, how they say it in my country - "Thanks from the mountian!" (Thanks in advance)


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